THE sorry state of two vacant buildings in Keynsham has been exposed by an urban explorer.
Footage showing conditions inside the former Treetops care home and the empty Ship Inn has been released online.
The care home in St Clements Road, which closed in 2018, is in a particular dilapidated condition.
Windows have been smashed and doors damaged, and the floors are littered with broken glass and other debris. There is evidence of fires being lit. Fixtures and fittings have been torn out, electric sockets smashed, wiring exposed and large holes knocked through walls.
Walls are covered in mould and graffiti. Some doors and windows have been boarded up but not all.
The urban explorer, who posts footage under the name of 2K Abandoned Places, said the damage was much more severe than when he previously visited in 2023-24.
He said: “This needs a health and safety. Someone has been ripping this to shreds.
“The kids are coming here with nothing better else to do. It’s ready to collapse.”
He said the building needed to be fully boarded-up or demolished before someone was injured. He also said he planned never to return.
There is far less damage at The Ship Inn, Temple Street, where fixtures and furniture look intact. But the empty bar and tables make for an eerie sight in what was once a popular, award-winning real-ale pub, which is believed to date from 1636.
2K Abandoned Places said: “Hopefully, we will see the pub open in the future.”
The Ship Inn has been empty since it closed in May 2023. The owners – the Wellington Pub Company based in London – have been advertising the lease through Bristol letting agents Fleurets.
As previously reported in the Voice, local residents have been dismayed to see the Ship stay shut for so long and become a target for vandals.
One said: “The Ship has so much history to it as well. It’s so sad to see it in the state it’s in now.”
Since the Treetops care home closed in 2018, there have been repeated attempts to redevelop the site, but planning permission to build 36 flats there was finally granted to Horizon Developments early last year.
Although the development remains listed on the Horizon Homes website as ‘coming soon’, there appears to be little sign of work starting at the site.
The footage shows the urban explorer entering both the pub and the former care home through unsecured access.
He said: “With urban exploring, we only visit places that are clearly abandoned and already accessible. If doors or windows are open, we will enter, but we never force entry, break anything, or cause any damage. Everything is left exactly as we find it.”
Sgt Rob Turner, of Keynsham police, said: “We’re aware of ongoing issues at two derelict buildings in Keynsham, and while we haven’t had reports of criminal offences being committed, we are concerned about the safety of people who are accessing the sites.
“The buildings are unsafe and there’s a significant risk of harm being caused to those who go into them. We are in ongoing contact with the owners of the building to discuss improving security measures to prevent further access.”
The Voice approached Horizon and the Ship Inn’s owners, Wellington Pub Company, for comment but received no reply.
Pictured above and the first three rows below – the former Treetops care home.
The photos at the bottom are of the Ship Inn – all images from 2K Abandoned Places.
